Secret benevolent society with ties to the Underground Railroad fights to save its historic Bedford Stuyvesant mansion

- A magnificent mansion stands at 87 Macdonough St. in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Upon closer inspection, the paint is peeling, the windows are boarded up, and the delicate carved details have seen better days. Still, it's unlike anything else in the area.

This building belongs to the secret benevolent society created in 1867 by formerly enslaved African American women. "They would house Black single mothers to be caretakers for themselves and each other and that was sort of a program that was instrumental and foundational part of the house being here," says Charlene Olivia Jean, who joined the order about a year ago.

As time went on, the organization's membership declined, and the women of the tents ran into financial hardships. Their lawyer, Jacques David of the Legal Aid Society, helped them file for nonprofit status with the IRS, to help them financially recover. Right now, he says they face more than $400,000 in property taxes, and are in the middle of an active dispute with the Department of Finance to get a property tax exemption for their charitable work.

Tent members estimate it will likely cost millions to restore the mansion to its former glory. Already the community pitched into help raise more than $200,000 in an online fundraiser to offset some of the costs, which makes leaders like Akosua Levine, Deputy of the Eastern District of the United Order of Tents, optimistic.

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Cozad-Bates House, believed to be linked to Underground Railroad, remains open for public, private toursOne of Cleveland’s oldest historic landmarks, which is believed to be linked to the Underground Railroad, still stands tucked in between new towering buildings and structures in University Circle. grateful Cozad has been saved due to work by Joan Southgate at Restore HOPE - chrisronayne UHhospitals what about rest of E 115th St ? inthecircle LCyrocki and Hessler Court? How much has been spent so far and how much more is needed would be nice to know
Source: WEWS - 🏆 323. / 59 Read more »

Jacksonville actor takes spotlight in Underground Railroad film 'Freedom's Path'RJ Cyler says every role he plays includes a little bit of the people he met growing up in Jacksonville. His new film is 'Freedom's Path.'
Source: Florida Times-Union - 🏆 600. / 51 Read more »

Underground railroad spotlighted at Ohio museum year-roundThe theme of this year's Black History Month is Black Resistance, and not many places spotlight this better than the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
Source: 10News - 🏆 732. / 50 Read more »

Elaborate underground embalming workshop discovered at SaqqaraA workshop discovered in Saqqara showcases the different ingredients ancient Egyptians used for embalming.
Source: LiveScience - 🏆 538. / 51 Read more »

The Underground World Of Virtual Reality Sex PartiesExplicit content is banned on the popular VRChat platform, but that doesn't stop users with Bluetooth-enabled toys from indulging in hours-long erotic role play.
Source: BuzzFeed - 🏆 730. / 51 Read more »

Bocchi the Rock Is Going Viral Over an Unhinged SecretBocchi the Rock is one of anime's best new series, and it is going viral all thanks to an unhinged fact: When will it get dub
Source: ComicBook - 🏆 65. / 68 Read more »